Watch The Middle Ages around the World

2023
1 Season

In this enthralling course, chart the fall and rebuilding of empires; learn about the economics and technology that drove medieval civilizations; map the great medieval trading networks; study the Age of Faith; and explore medieval history, culture, and thought from Europe and Africa to the Middle East, Asia, and beyond.

The Middle Ages around the World is a series that ran for 1 seasons (24 episodes) between February 16, 2023 and on The Great Courses

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Seasons

24. Medieval Empires Fall as Islam Revives

February 16, 2023

As the Middle Ages drew to a close, major political shifts changed the power balance in Asia. Take account of the fall of the Mongol Empire and the new empires of Tamerlane, the Russian state, and the Ottoman Turks. Learn how the Ottomans took Constantinople, initiating an empire that would last 600 years. Conclude with a look at how medieval culture left a clear mark on the future world.

23. Medieval Warfare Ends with Gunpowder

February 16, 2023

Trace the effects on warfare of gunpowder, first developed by the Chinese. See how gunpowder weapons spread to the Islamic world, and to Europe in the Hundred Years

22. Religious Struggles in the Age of Faith

February 16, 2023

The medieval Age of Faith was transformed by the 14th-century disasters of famine, plague, and warfare. Learn how these upheavals caused many to question their understanding of faith and the world. Learn how within Christendom, China, and the lands of Islam, people responded by blaming rulers or by appealing to God directly, forcing key changes both within these faiths and in secular society.

21. Late Medieval Disasters: Climate and Plague

February 16, 2023

From 1300 to 1450, a series of disasters destroyed structures of medieval society. Track the climate changes that produced widespread famine across the Eurasian continent. Then investigate the devastation of bubonic plague that swept the world. Witness how the disease spread and take stock of the rebellions and far-reaching societal changes that took place in the wake of the famine and plague.

20. High Middle Ages in the Americas

February 16, 2023

Investigate the agricultural methods, based in cultivating maize and other staple crops, that supported highly populated, advanced civilizations in the Americas. Discover the culture, artifacts, and monumental architecture of the Maya in Mexico and the Chimu in Peru. Learn also about the innovative, large-population cultures that thrived in the Amazon rainforest.

19. High Middle Ages in the Pacific: Polynesia

February 16, 2023

Consider the astonishing feat of navigation through which medieval peoples from Samoa and Tonga settled the Polynesian islands of the South Pacific. Learn about Polynesian societies and culture, highlighting the phenomenal giant statues of Rapa Nui (Easter Island) and how they were built. Note how the statue building ultimately had severe consequences for the island

18. Fictional Travels and Monstrous Races

February 16, 2023

In the Middle Ages, fictional travel writing became more influential than real accounts. Discover The Travels of Sir John Mandeville, a hugely impactful work written by a man who never left home. Follow the route and details of his invented travels, drawn from other books. See how his descriptions of nonexistent creatures contributed to the cruelty and exploitation of the later Age of Discovery.

17. Medieval Pilgrims and Travelers

February 16, 2023

Religious pilgrimage was a central feature of medieval life. First, visualize pilgrimage to the Holy Land through the writings of the Spanish pilgrim Egeria. Note how travel to venerate holy relics was a major lure for the faithful. Witness spiritual pilgrimage in Asia, in Japan through the diaries of Abutsu and Lady Nijo, and in the Muslim world with Ibn Battuta, Islam

16. Marco Polo Travels East to China

February 16, 2023

The Travels of Marco Polo is among history

15. Mongol Conquests: From China to Russia

February 16, 2023

The Mongol Empire shaped the history of Central and East Asia through the 13th century. See how Genghis Kahn created a vast empire and note the features of Mongol rule, including its religious inclusiveness, strategic control of trade, and freedoms for women. Follow the Mongol conquests of India; Russia; the Islamic world; and, finally, China, establishing the Yuan Dynasty.

14. Medieval Tales of Heroes and Lovers

February 16, 2023

Delve into the landmarks of medieval literature, beginning with the heroic epics of different cultures, from Europe

13. Life in a Medieval Palace

February 16, 2023

Look into medieval values through daily life in great palaces. Visualize life in European castles, taking account of accommodations, dress, and food and drink. Contrast that with the Alhambra palace of Islamic Spain and its layout, interiors, and separation of men and women. Conclude with China

12. Universities and Intellectual Discovery

February 16, 2023

The High Middle Ages saw a global movement toward a culture of education. Look first at China, and the educational system rooted in rigorous civil service examinations. Study intellectual trends in the Muslim world, and the major advances in medicine, mathematics, and philosophy. Then witness the rise of universities in the West, which set the stage for the post-medieval scientific revolution.

11. Cathedrals to Pagodas: Sacred Architecture

February 16, 2023

Religious buildings are perhaps the most visited remnants of the Middle Ages. Begin with the sublime Hagia Sophia church in Istanbul, emblem of the Byzantine Empire and later a mosque. Then study the features and symbolism of medieval Romanesque churches, Gothic cathedrals, synagogues, and mosques. See their Asian counterparts in Angkor Wat (Hinduism), Borobodur (Buddhism) and Chinese pagodas.

10. Medieval Towns and Trade Networks

February 16, 2023

In the High Middle Ages, new commerce and trade networks transformed societies and cultures. See how medieval commercial towns arose across Western Europe in order to satisfy the desire for trade. Survey the long-distance trading zones that fed the wealth of these cities. Within Africa, assess the trade-rich Mali Empire, the fabled city of Timbuktu, and the wealthy trade of the Swahili Coast.

9. The Crusades

February 16, 2023

Trace the origins of the Crusades, as Europeans launched wars to recover the Holy Lands for Christendom. Follow the series of Crusades that unfolded over 200 years, initially taking Jerusalem and establishing Christian kingdoms in the Middle East. Take account of the disasters of the later Crusades, and the consequent strengthening of Islam and loss of prestige for the Western church.

8. Medieval Growth and Prosperity

February 16, 2023

The High Middle Ages saw phenomenal growth in civilizations across the world, in the areas of population, wealth, and expansion. Look into the technological innovations that underlay the flourishing of China

7. North America and Viking Explorers

February 16, 2023

Peoples from Northern Europe also ventured far afield in the Middle Ages. Here, follow the voyages of the Vikings in their fast-moving ships and how they reached North America in the 10th century. Learn about the Viking settlements on Iceland and Greenland and their expeditions further west while seeking hospitable lands, leading to violent conflict with Algonquian tribes and later the Inuit.

6. The Medieval Rebuilding of Empires

February 16, 2023

The 8th and 9th centuries brought a reordering of empires from Europe to the Far East. First, study the reuniting of Northern Europe under the Frankish emperor, Charlemagne, and the rule of Abbasid Caliph Harun al-Rashid, who founded the great city of Baghdad. Witness the golden age of China

5. The Medieval Spread of Religions

February 16, 2023

The medieval era was an Age of Faith, characterized by world-changing religious events and processes of change. Within Christianity, examine the doctrinal disputes that led to the schism between the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. Learn how Hinduism predominated within India, and how Buddhism moved from India into Southeast Asia, China, and Japan, splitting into two main schools.

4. Creating an Islamic Culture

February 16, 2023

Take account of the cultural transformations that Muslim rule brought to its domains and the growth of trade, new cities, and great centers of learning that it fostered. Study the five

3. The Rise of Islam and Europe

February 16, 2023

One of the pivotal events of the Middle Ages was the rise of Islam. Learn about the visions of the merchant Muhammad and how his ideas spread as a powerful new religion. Track the expansion of Islam through the conquests of Arab armies and how conquered peoples fared under Muslim rule. Then discover the origins of the European feudal system and the warfare practiced by armored knights.

2. Constantinople, Aksum, and Tang China

February 16, 2023

Grasp the vital relationship in the medieval world between sophisticated, walled cities, and the rural peasants and serfs that supported their existence. Visit the three greatest cities of the early Middle Ages: Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire; Chang

1. Medieval Beginnings: The Fall of Empires

February 16, 2023

Investigate the turbulent events that marked the beginning of the Middle Ages. Trace the rise of warrior peoples from the Asian steppes that brought down the Chinese, Indian, and Roman empires, and the advent of Germanic kings who ruled the West. Take account of the great trading networks that connected the civilizations of Asia with those of the Middle East, Africa, and Europe.

Description

Where to Watch The Middle Ages around the World

The Middle Ages around the World is available for streaming on the The Great Courses website, both individual episodes and full seasons. You can also watch The Middle Ages around the World on demand at Apple TV Channels and Amazon Prime and Amazon.